Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Stig outed as Ben Collins – again

The Stig is Ben Collins It’s a game Top Gear has played since the days of ‘Black Stig’ (Perry McCarthy – F1 almost was) – Who is the Stig? Not only has it provided the Beeb with an endless run of free publicity as everyone and his dog speculates on the Stig’s identity, they’ve even made money on the back of the Stig’s identity with Stig-focused games and goodies from the gloriously tacky range of Top Gear ephemera. And this last week Stiggy has been in the news as he tries to get his memoirs published – Stig: The Autobiography – much to the consternation of the Beeb, who believe his contract gives him no chance of revealing his identity.

2016 Ford Focus RS hits the Nurburgring (video)

2016 Ford Focus RS hits the Nurburgring One car Ford has failed to produce in the latest Focus is the Focus RS, but that is set to change with plans for a new range-topping Focus RS hitting Ford’s showrooms in 2016, a year before the current Focus is due for an update. So it’s no surprise to see Ford starting to blat the new Focus RS round the Nurburgring – albeit using a Focus ST as a mule for the RS’s powertrain – ahead of a probable reveal late in 2015. Almost certainly powering the new Focus RS is the 2.3 litre EcoBoost from the new Ford Mustang, which gets 304bhp in the Mustang but which is expected to get as much as 345bhp in the new RS – as much as the old Focus RS500 managed.

New MINI 5-door Hatch revealed – but will you fit through the back doors?

The 5-door MINI hatch arrives We’ve already had the more BMW-like new MINI arrive, and now, for the first time, we get a MINI 5-door hatch to try and extend the appeal of the MINI range to families. The 5-door MINI gets an extra 72mm in the wheelbase and a pair of doors at the back – which do look very tight for full-size people to use – and there’s also an extra 15mm of headroom, a bigger boot and seating for three in the back. In terms of design, there’s little to choose between the 5-door and the 3-door, but the new 5-door does look a bit like the off-spring of the new MINI and the Countryman; just a little dumpy.